Saturday, December 01, 2007

Dennis Lehane and the Boston Police Strike


Quite a few years ago, I was in Boston walking on Newbury Street and I stopped by the Spenser's Mystery Bookstore. Andy was there at the time and I asked him who's hot and in his humble opinion...has got it. Andy gave me two books; Darkness Take My Hand by Dennis Lehane and a mystery novel based on old-time radio. Needless to say I have forgotten the title of the radio mystery, and Dennis Lehane and his works have taken up residence in my house.

Recently I was joined by my wife Kathy and my old friend john Maruskin to hear Dennis Lehane present a reading at the Odyssey Bookstore in South Hadley, MA. Dennis is one of the most engaging, funny, totally honest people I've ever met. He's very humble about his work and even a bit shy when readers praise him. He spent the evening talking about his new book that is due out next September. It's about the years 1918 and 1919 and is centered around 2 men and the 1919 Boston Police Strike. A period piece? and yet he made it work. He gave us a long reading and it was well worth the wait since 2001's Shutter Island.

I highly recommend all of Dennis' books with highlights being, in my opinion, Darkness Take My Hand, Gone Baby Gone and Shutter Island. Run out and buy as much Lehane as you can.

Good reading!

1 comment:

curmudgeon said...

Thanks for the good words.

By the way, did you put that jayna character up to comparing me to Errol Flynn?
I smell a rat.